Review: Scythe

Introduction & Overview

The ashes of the Great War still darken the snow of 1920s Europa. The capitalistic city-state known simply as “The Factory,” which fueled the war with heavily armored mechs, has closed its doors, drawing the attention of several nearby countries. With characters from five different factions converging on a small but highly coveted piece of land, who will achieve fame and fortune and establish their empire as the leader of Eastern Europe?

This is the premise of Scythe, the latest design from Jamey Stegmaier, the man behind Euphoria: Build a Better Dystopia and Viticulture. The game was published in 2016 under the usual Stonemaier Games label following a highly successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The illustrations are provided by Jakub Rozalski, who had already proven his skills in games like Hero Brigade or Legacy: The Card Game.

The game has been published in our country thanks to Maldito Games, which is much appreciated since it contains a couple of card decks with enough text to fully justify a localized edition. The game accommodates 1 to 5 players, with a suggested minimum age of 14 and an approximate duration of 115 minutes. The recommended retail price is €79.95. For this review, we used a copy of the Spanish edition by Maldito Games, which the publisher was kind enough to send over as a review copy.

Important: if you already know the game and/or are only interested in my opinion about it, you can go directly to the Opinion section. The Content and Mechanics sections are especially intended for those who do not know the game and prefer to get a general idea of how it works.

Go to Personal Opinion

Components

Inside a two-piece cardboard box (lid and bottom) measuring 36.5×30×9.8 (a large rectangular box similar to Shogun, though somewhat deeper), we find the following components:

• 1 Game Board (cardboard)
• 5 Player Mats (cardboard)
• 5 Faction Mats (cardboard)
• 80 Resource Tokens (wooden):
  • 20 Food Tokens
  • 20 Metal Tokens
  • 20 Wood Tokens
  • 20 Oil Tokens
• 12 Resource Multiplier Tokens (cardboard)
• 12 Encounter Tokens (cardboard)
• 6 Structure Bonus Tiles (cardboard)
• 80 Coins (cardboard)
• 2 Power Dials (cardboard)
• 50 Large Cards (70×110 mm.):
  • 28 Encounter Cards
  • 12 Factory Cards
  • 5 Riverwalk Cards
  • 5 Quick-Start Cards
• Medium Objective Cards (57×87 mm.)
• Small Combat Cards (44×67 mm.)
• 5 Action Tokens (1 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (wooden)
• 5 Popularity Tokens (1 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (wooden)
• 5 Power Tokens (1 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (wooden)
• 30 Star Tokens (6 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (wooden)
• 20 Structure Tokens (4 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (wooden)
• 20 Recruit Tokens (4 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (wooden)
• 20 Mech Miniatures (4 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (plastic)
• 5 Leader Miniatures (1 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (plastic)
• 40 Workers (8 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (wooden)
• 30 Technology Cubes (6 in each color: white, black, red, yellow, and blue) (wooden)
• Rulebook
• Quick-Reference Guide
• Automa Rulebook (Solo Mode)

How to Play

Scythe is an alternate-history game set in 1920s Eastern Europe, where each player takes on the role of a hero leading their faction to become the richest and most powerful in the region. The game flows through successive turns without fixed rounds or phases, with players alternating continuously. On each turn, the active player must move their action token to a section of their player mat different from their previous turn to execute a top-row action, a bottom-row action, or both. Top-row actions allow players to move units across the hexagonal map, produce resources based on the terrain occupied by workers, or trade to gain raw materials and increase popularity. In turn, bottom-row actions allow players to spend those resources to implement infrastructure upgrades, deploy colossal combat mechs, build permanent structures, or enlist recruits that activate shared bonuses with neighbors. During exploration, characters can resolve encounters with the locals or access the central Factory to acquire advanced actions, while territorial expansion can trigger combats that are managed secretly and simultaneously using power dials and combat cards. The game ends immediately the moment someone manages to place their sixth achievement star on the board. Finally, fortune is calculated by summing accumulated coins and points awarded for placed stars, accumulated resources, and controlled territories—all multiplied according to the tier reached on the popularity track. The player with the greatest fortune is declared the winner.

Key Concepts

Let’s start with the Game Board:

• Most of it is occupied by a map of the region where the game takes place, which is divided into hexagonal territories. Each of these territories shows a symbol representing its properties:
• Village (meeple icon, allows adding workers to the board)
• Resources (yellow food icon, gray metal icon, blue oil icon, or brown wood icon, allows gathering resources)
• Lake (blue wave icon, an inaccessible region by default)
• The Factory (central territory with a building icon on a purple background, a special region that counts as three territories and provides other advantages).
• Additionally, some territories display an Encounter symbol (a target icon with red and green circles) in their lower area.
• There is also a symbol with a gateway on 6 of the hexagons, representing connections between those territories. Later on, players can generate additional portals that become part of this network. Territories with this symbol are considered adjacent.
• On the outskirts of the territories, we find the headquarters of the different factions (7 appear, although two of these factions are not included in the base game).
• In the upper-left area, we find the triumph track. This is a series of milestones that players can achieve throughout the game. At the same time, it serves as the game-end trigger once a player reaches the maximum number of milestones.
• On the left margin, we find the popularity track, with spaces numbered from 1 to 18. This popularity level is tied to the final end-of-game scoring, meaning that the more popular our faction is, the more coins we will score for the 3 evaluable parameters: controlled territories, achieved stars, and resource pairs.
• In the upper-right corner, there is an area to place the combat card deck as well as its discard pile. A small key showing the card distribution in the deck is also visible.
• Around the middle of the right margin, we find an area to place the factory card deck.
• In the lower-left corner, there is an area to place the encounter card deck.
• To its right, we find an area to place the objective card deck.
• Finally, in the lower-right area, we find the power track.

The Player Mat shows the possibilities available to a player when resolving their turn. We find four pairs of actions grouped differently depending on each mat; that is, everyone has the same actions, but the combination of top-row and bottom-row actions varies on each mat:

• In the top section of each action, we find generic actions that are the same on every mat, both in terms of costs (spaces with a red background) and benefits (spaces with green backgrounds). Technology cubes and structures will start placed in this area (reducing the benefits of the actions).
• However, in the bottom section, each action features different costs and benefits. In the costs area, we will find slots to place the aforementioned technology cubes to reduce activation costs.
• We also find a circular space on each action for the recruit token, so that when we remove it, we also unlock a new benefit when executing the action. As a unique feature, this benefit will also trigger if one of our neighbors at the table activates that bottom-row action on their own mat.
• Lastly, on the right side, we find the starting elements that the faction will count on, as well as a numerical value used to determine turn order.

Players will have an Action Token to mark the action they are executing in the current turn. This is necessary because the game mechanics require, as a general rule, choosing an action different from the one performed on that player’s previous turn; meaning a player cannot execute the same action two turns in a row.

On the other hand, we have the Faction Mat. Aside from an impressive illustration, it shows the following elements:

• In the lower-left area, we find the four benefits gained when a player performs the enlist action.
• In the lower-right area, we find four large circles acting as a mech pool. Each circle indicates a special ability that becomes unlocked the moment the mech is deployed. These abilities apply to both the mechs and the faction leader, but not to the workers.
• On the right margin, we find the number of power points and the amount of combat cards the faction starts with.
• Finally, in the upper-right area, we find a special faction ability available from the start of the game.

Let’s talk about units. Each faction has three types available: workers, mechs, and the leader.

Let’s start with Workers. These will be in charge of gathering resources from the various territories. At the same time, they act as keepers of the resources, meaning that when they move, they can carry them along (regardless of the quantity). Their main disadvantage compared to other units is that they have no military power, leaving them exposed to attacks from other units. If they are forced to retreat, the resources they were keeping will stay in the territory, losing control over them.

Mechs are the military and transport units that factions possess. On one hand, they can carry workers and resources with them, and they are one of the two ways workers can cross water zones. They can also engage in combat with other factions. On the faction mat, there are four unlockable traits that become active as mechs are deployed onto the board.

Finally, we have the Leader, which is a special unit that contributes the same as a Mech in terms of military strength (being able to engage in combat). However, they cannot transport workers, though they can carry resources. In return, they have the ability to explore territories with encounter tokens.

Since we mentioned them, Encounters represent a deep exploration of unknown regions by the leader. This exploration provides interesting rewards represented on the Encounter Cards, which always display three choices from which one must be selected.

To identify the territories where these encounters will take place, landmark tokens featuring a compass rose symbol are used.

While we’re at it, let’s keep going with cards. At the start of the game, players receive some Objective Cards, which will allow them to achieve one of the available milestones. These objective cards, as their name suggests, establish a certain condition and when it can be fulfilled by the player.

Milestones serve a dual purpose. On one hand, they are one of the three scoring elements in the final calculation, so it is beneficial to achieve as many as possible. On the other hand, they determine the length of the game, as it ends when a player manages to achieve their sixth milestone. Most milestones involve reaching the peak of one of the developable aspects of the game: reaching maximum upgrades, deploying all mechs, putting all workers on the board, building all structures, reaching maximum popularity or power, etc. To mark the fulfillment of these milestones, players have star-shaped tokens that they will place on the corresponding track of the main board. It’s worth noting that although some milestones involve reaching a value on a track that might later drop, the milestone is not lost (for example, losing popularity or power points later on).

Let’s take advantage of this and continue with these two tracks. Popularity, as we indicated when explaining the board, represents how beloved we are by our people. This love from our citizens will be reflected in the final scoring, as the popularity track sets a series of tiers that provide a variable amount of coins for each of the three scoring elements at the end of the game. Throughout the game, we will be gaining and losing popularity depending on different actions.

Something similar happens with Power. It reflects the military strength of our faction. These power points will also be gained and spent during the game through various actions. Additionally, these power points can be used in combats, though only up to a maximum limit.

Upgrades represent the technological advancement of our faction. They are tracked via a series of cubes that initially occupy green spaces (benefits) on the top actions of the mats. When an upgrade is performed, we simply shift one of these cubes over to one of the bottom action spaces, covering a slot with a red background (cost). In this way, upgrading optimizes 2 actions at once: one in the top row (providing a more powerful action) and one in the bottom row (reducing its activation cost).

Resources will be necessary to develop our faction. They are primarily required to activate the bottom-row actions on the player mat. In fact, each type of resource is associated with an action: oil for upgrades, wood for structures, food for enlists, and metal to deploy mechs. Resources can be bought or gathered from territories, and they will always remain under the control of one or more workers on the map.

Structures are a peculiar element, deployed on the board but unable to be moved again for the rest of the game. These structures unlock a specific benefit that triggers when executing the associated action. Additionally, these structures allow control over territories as long as there are no rival units present. In that case, if they offer any advantage on the terrain, it will be disabled while the territory is not under our control.

Enlists represent the military support of the population for our faction. On each of the bottom actions, you start with a token covering a certain benefit. When the corresponding action is performed, this token is moved to the faction mat, gaining an immediate benefit, as well as unlocking a recurring benefit whenever that bottom-row action is executed on the player mat. Furthermore, this benefit (and only this one) will additionally trigger if one of the neighboring players activates that same action.

Combats happen when military units of two factions (mechs and/or leaders) cross paths in a territory. Combat is resolved through a blind bidding system using two elements, declaring as winner the one who spends the most power points. The first element is power points, which are bid using a Dial where you can spend from 0 to 7 points. Obviously, a player cannot spend more power points than they currently possess.

The other element is Combat Cards. These represent the strength that the military unit brings to the fight. For each unit involved in the skirmish, we can play one of these cards (provided we have them in hand). These cards can contribute a value ranging between 2 and 5.

Lastly, the central territory represents the Factory. When a player reaches this region for the first time in the game, they have the right to look through the Factory Cards deck and choose one. These cards unlock a fifth additional action separate from those shown on the player mat, although their effects will be similar to some already present.

That covers the basics.

Setup

1. The game board is unfolded in the center of the table.
2. An encounter token is placed on each territory featuring the corresponding symbol.
3. Coins and resources are placed in a general supply.
4. The combat, encounter, objective, and factory card decks are shuffled and placed in their respective spaces.
5. The power dials are left near the board.
6. Each player chooses a faction and receives:
7. A faction mat
8. A player mat (assigned randomly)
9. 4 mechs of the faction’s color (placed on the faction mat)
10. 4 structure pieces (placed on the player mat)
11. 1 action token
12. 8 workers (6 of them are placed on the player mat, the other 2 are placed on the territories adjacent to the faction’s home base)
13. 1 leader (placed on the faction base on the board)
14. 4 enlist tokens (placed on the player mat)
15. 6 technology cubes (placed on the top action spaces of the player mat).
16. A power token, placed on the space of the board’s power track as indicated by the player mat.
17. A popularity token, placed on the space of the board’s popularity track as indicated by the player mat.
18. The player also takes as many coins and combat cards from the supply as indicated by their player mat.
19. Finally, the player with the lowest-numbered player mat will be the starting player.

That is enough to get started.

Game Flow

A game of Scythe consists of an indeterminate number of turns alternated among players (starting with the first player) until the game-end condition is met.

A player’s turn consists of the following steps:

• Move the Action Token on the Player Mat to a different space than the one it occupied at the start of the turn.
• The player may execute the top action of the new space (paying the elements shown in red and gaining those shown in green). The available options are:
  • Bolster. In exchange for 1 coin, the player chooses between gaining 2 power points (3 if the upgrade has been done) or 1 combat card (2 if the upgrade has been done). Additionally, a popularity point would be gained if the Monument has been built.
  • Produce. Depending on the number of workers on the board, the player will have to pay production costs based on the visible symbols (1 power point, 1 popularity point, and 1 coin). After this, they would activate 2 territories (3 territories if the upgrade has been done) where they have at least 1 worker, producing 1 resource of the type corresponding to the terrain for each worker on the hexagon. Additionally, if the Mill has been built, a resource is produced in the territory where it is located. Let’s remember that some territories produce resources and others introduce new workers to the board.
  • Move. The player chooses between moving 2 units (3 units if the upgrade has been done)—workers, mechs, or the leader—to an adjacent territory while following movement rules, or gaining 1 coin (2 if the upgrade has been done). If the Mine has been built, the territory it occupies acts as a tunnel.
    • Resources are tied to workers. If all workers leave a territory, the resources can go with the workers.
    • Mechs have the ability to transport any number of workers and resources along with them.
    • If the leader enters a territory with an Encounter token, the player draws an encounter card and chooses one of the available options.
    • Finally, if mechs and/or the leader enter a territory occupied by rival units, a combat occurs, the resolution of which will be discussed later.
  • Trade. The player pays 1 coin and chooses between buying any 2 resources (which are placed in a territory with workers) or gaining 2 popularity points. Additionally, if the Armory has been built, a power point is gained.
• The player may execute the bottom action of the new space (it is not necessary to have executed the first one). The costs and benefits of these actions, unlike those in the top row, differ across the various mats. The options are:
  • Upgrade. The player pays the indicated oil units and performs an upgrade, shifting a cube from one of the top actions to one of the bottom action slots, in addition to gaining any indicated benefits.
  • Deploy. The player pays the indicated metal units and deploys one of their mechs on any territory where they possess at least one worker, in addition to gaining any indicated benefits.
  • Build. The player pays the indicated wood units and builds one of their structures on any territory where they possess at least one worker, in addition to gaining any indicated benefits.
  • Enlist. The player pays the indicated food units and moves one of their enlist tokens to one of the 4 slots on their faction mat, gaining the benefit shown in that slot. Additionally, any indicated benefits in the action space are gained.
    • Remember that the benefit unlocked by moving an enlist token triggers both when the player activates that action and when one of their neighbors does.

Throughout their turn, the player can additionally fulfill one or more milestones. Upon doing so, they will place one of their star tokens on the achieved milestone.

If the active player triggers a conflict in a territory by moving into it with rival units, it must be resolved before proceeding with the bottom-row action. Combat only takes place if there are mechs and/or leaders from both factions (if there are only workers, they must return to their home base, and the attacking player loses 1 popularity point per rival worker displaced). It is resolved as follows:

• Players will each take a power dial and secretly set how many power points they will use in the battle (up to a maximum of 7).
• Additionally, for each unit involved in the combat (mech and/or leader), they can commit a combat card, placing it facedown in their play area.
• Once both players have chosen their power points and cards, all elements are revealed simultaneously, summing the values. The winner will be the player with the highest total strength. In case of a tie, the attacker (the current player) wins:
  • The loser must retreat all their units to their home base. Resources remain in the territory. If they revealed at least 1 power point, either via the dial or a card, they draw a combat card.
  • The winner stays in the territory and places a token on the triumph track in the space corresponding to winning a combat. Furthermore, they must lose one popularity point for each worker they forced to retreat (mechs or leaders do not cause this penalty).

Once the turn is resolved, it passes to the player on the left.

Game End

The game ends immediately the moment a player places their sixth star on the triumph track (the turn is not completed). Following this, the final scoring takes place.

• The player earns coins based on their popularity tier across three factors:
  • For each territory they control (with units or structures without enemy units). The Factory region counts as 3 territories.
  • For each star they have on the triumph track.
  • For each pair of resources, regardless of type.
• Additionally, coins are awarded based on the structure bonus tile for the game.
• These coins are added to those the player already held at the end of the game.

The winner will be the player with the most coins. In case of a tie, the winner is determined by the following tiebreakers:

• The player with the most workers, mechs, and structures (totaled together) on the board.
• The player with the most power points.
• The player with the highest popularity.
• The player with the highest number of resources under their control.
• The player with the highest number of territories under their control.
• The player with the most stars on the triumph track.

Variants

Solo Mode: here we can play against a bot managed by a deck of cards that determines the actions it performs. Notably, this deck follows two strategies (the cards have two halves), and the bot will switch from one to the other once a specific event occurs during the game.

Personal Opinion

Today we analyze one of the latest phenomena in the board game world. First, because it is one of the most highly funded crowdfunding campaigns for a board game not strictly centered on miniatures (even if it has them). Second, for being a creation of Mr. Stegmaier, who has nearly reached guru status when it comes to managing crowdfunding campaigns. And third, because it has recently broken into the top ten of the BGG ranking. Is Scythe really all that? Let’s find out, but not before thanking the guys at Maldito Games, without whom this tocho-review™ would not be possible.

I’ll start with the thorny issue of the mechanical definition that Scythe applies to itself (well, not the game, but its rock-star designer). The 4X concept seems to be fashionable again. For those who don’t know what lies behind those four letters, it’s just a way to group games where players eXplore terrain, eXpand their empire/town/faction/whatever, eXploit resources, and finally, eXterminate their rivals. And Scythe was pitched to us in that successful campaign as a 4X with stellar production quality. And that ended up being a problem for many.

It’s a problem because people tend to interpret this concept as a mechanic that must follow certain strict designs, when, in reality, it’s more of a category. They are games that abstract a concept, regardless of how they achieve it mechanically. As an abstraction, the parameters required to be considered as such can be fine-tuned. But even so, there are designs that have been elevated above the rest, serving as a yardstick when accepting a game as a 4X or not. When a game wanders too far from those benchmarks, the pointless arguments begin.

After this paragraph full of verbiage where I barely say anything concrete, you’re probably wondering: but is Scythe a 4X or not? Did Stegmaier sell us snake oil with his persuasive charm again? Well, the answer is “it depends.” It depends on what I just said. If you’re willing to be flexible regarding how those four core concepts are implemented, Scythe can fit the mold. If, on the other hand, certain elements are non-negotiable for you, then you’ll likely feel shortchanged. Let’s break it down a bit.

Two concepts are clearly present and form the core of the game: resource exploitation and expansion. One of the goals players must keep in mind throughout the game is trying to control as many territories as possible, since it is a major scoring element at the end of the game. To carry out this expansion continuously and safely, it is necessary to bring workers onto the board and deploy the famous mechs. The former allow us to accumulate even more resources (besides controlling more regions), while the latter serve as a means of transport and defensive walls. Either way, we need a massive amount of resources for this expansion, because every action that allows us to add pieces of our color to the board costs materials.

The third letter, extermination, is usually represented by direct confrontation on the board. This confrontation is present, as players engage in combat by bringing their mechs and/or leaders into the same territory. However, one of the first complaints people raise is that extermination, strictly speaking, isn’t there. Losing a combat “only” means that the units occupying the territory you just lost must return to the faction’s headquarters, without needing to be built or deployed again. Being strict with language, there is no real extermination. Once a unit is introduced to the board, that unit stays wandering around until the end of the game. If we stick to the literal meaning of the word, we have to admit one of the X’s limps. However, as I said at the beginning, for me this letter reflects conflict—the ability to throw a wrench in someone else’s gears. To kick a player out of the position they currently occupy. Whether there are casualties or not is a technicality. The important thing is the eviction from the territory. And that definitely happens in Scythe. What’s more, a well-timed strike can cause a massive setback for the player receiving it, because if there’s anything slow in this game, it’s moving units around, especially workers.

Lastly, the fourth concept, exploration, is something I must admit is a bit of a stretch. Exploration is typically represented by elements that are initially hidden, so that when a player accesses them, they are revealed, potentially containing positive or negative outcomes (nobody said exploring was a walk in the park). However, in Scythe, the board is fully open and visible to all players from the very first turn. How is this concept represented then? With what the rulebook calls “Encounters.” These are small tokens scattered across certain territories, so that if the leader—and only the leader—of a faction enters them, a purely beneficial event occurs. This makes sense because, as I’ve subtly hinted, moving across the board is neither simple nor fast, so spending valuable movement points to get a unit to a remote territory only to end up taking a hit would mean nobody would ever want to try. So, well, we have a very light and feel-good exploration, where if you bother to take a trip to unknown lands, you’ll walk away with a nice little prize for your troubles.

Returning to the “controversial” topic, is it important that Scythe doesn’t integrate the key concepts of games traditionally lumped into the 4X category? Only if that’s exactly what you’re looking for. But in my opinion, just like with city-builders, this category serves only to group things. What matters are the mechanics and what actually happens in the game.

And here, my friends, Scythe achieves something that might seem simple but very few manage to pull off. I am referring to presenting a game that can display a certain complexity but maintains an absolutely amazing gameplay pacing. There are few games where you sit at the table and—barring some inconsiderate Analysis Paralysis titan who ruins the experience—you’ll be playing almost continuously, either because turns fly by with barely any downtime, or because an ability triggers thanks to the choices made by your neighbors. In fact, the rulebook itself suggests certain guidelines to streamline this pace. Everything seems designed for maximum entertainment. Similar to what Blood Rage (here is its tocho-review) achieved back in the day. Both Scythe and the Viking game signed by Eric M. Lang offer something similar, which is nothing more than having a great time with a board game while trying to dodge most of the factors that usually annoy players: lack of theme, downtime, lack of interaction, slowness, etc.

Obviously, to achieve this, certain aspects had to be smoothed out, reducing the depth of the concept. By this, I mean no one should expect decisions in Scythe heavy enough to cause a massive turning point in the game. We are faced with a very straightforward design where players, on their turn, essentially have only three options (there are four actions, but as a general rule, you cannot repeat the previous one), and usually one of them isn’t interesting depending on the situation and your last move, so you’ll most commonly choose between a couple of choices. Choices that are also very atomic and direct: produce, move, deploy, upgrade, etc. It’s a game you get the hang of halfway through your first play, especially if you already have some experience in the board gaming world.

This lack of depth can be seen in how the game develops. Let’s say all players are going to find themselves immersed in a race to see who optimizes their actions best and moves around the terrain most efficiently. In the end, more or less, everyone will end up doing the same things because the variations are subtle. The rule that forces you not to repeat actions is clearly focused in this direction. Thus, players have a sense of constant development, but without the most expert players being able to break away significantly. It’s rare for a player to be left completely out of the running.

In fact, this can only happen due to carelessness and because rivals decide to back one of their neighbors into a corner. That’s why combat, despite not being spectacular or bloody, is key when deciding the winner of the game. Landing a good strike in a region with many resources makes a significant difference in victory points. Players must carefully measure their steps and calculate the exact right moment to attack and leave their rivals with no room to maneuver. It is not a game for constant warring.

The scalability of Scythe is another of its strengths, again, thanks to the great pacing of the game. The game accommodates 1 to 5 players. You already know I’m not a solo gamer, but I understand it works quite well. Then, with multiple players at the table, the game behaves differently depending on the player count. At 2–3 players, there is a lot of space between player bases, so conflict will appear mainly when accessing the central territory. But near our base, there is usually no movement other than that of our workers. In this range, the game tends to emphasize the development factor more. It is admittedly a bit more solitaire, but equally satisfying. At 4–5, things change, since everyone has a close neighbor who will start stepping on border territory at the first opportunity, so there will be more combats and tension will run high. Not so much because there are combats turn after turn, but because of the threat of force, meaning players will be forced not to neglect their military aspect or expand recklessly.

The game has an expansion that adds the two remaining factions shown on the board. This is probably the biggest flaw I can find in Scythe: the feeling of an incomplete game. It’s true that we would rarely bring this game to the table with 6 or 7 players, although I don’t see it as far-fetched at all. But having elements of other factions referenced gives a bad impression, like a game carved up into pieces to generate higher profits.

And speaking of factions, replayability is enhanced by the slight asymmetry each side possesses, both due to the faction itself and the combination with the different player mats. A slightly different starting point and abilities that, while not posing a huge variation in how we develop (we have the same actions), do gently guide player strategies. Nobody will likely win solely due to their faction’s advantage, but if you exploit it well, it can be a significant bonus when gunning for victory.

To close this block, we could say that if Scythe were a movie, it would surely be a good blockbuster or a popcorn flick. A show of smoke and mirrors, with explosions, fireworks, and thrilling chases that, while not containing profound substance, has a main goal of nothing more than entertaining as many people as possible without demanding great effort. And we all have blockbusters among our favorite movies. I must have watched The Rock more than 20 times, one of the early films by a master of this genre like Michael Bay. And every time I catch it on TV, I get sucked right in. Scythe manages to entertain, amuse, and keep you immersed in the game from the first turn to the last. And, just like with blockbusters, that is a really difficult thing to achieve.

Let’s move on to the production values. Returning to the previous analogy, a good popcorn movie is nothing if the special effects aren’t up to par. The production quality of Scythe is supreme. The cards are among the best you can find in board games right now, with a generous thickness, an exquisite linen finish, and a snap back that would let you give some top-tier card snaps with them. The miniatures are detailed and free of flash. The wooden elements are custom, so that, for example, the workers of each faction have a distinct silhouette. And the cardboard components also have a generous thickness and more than adequate rigidity. Perhaps the only minor weak point is the faction mats which, who knows why, are thinner than the rest of the boards. They probably ran out of budget. The rulebook is a marvel, very well structured, packed with examples and clarifications. It’s a pleasure to learn a game this way. A level of production matching the investment the game requires.

But if I have to highlight one thing, it’s the incredible work of Mr. Rozalski. Illustrations with incredible detail and care, especially given the sheer number of them. Except for the combat cards, which do repeat illustrations depending on their value, the rest of the cards (and there are quite a few) show completely different scenes, just like the player and faction mats. A herculean job of astounding quality. The rulebook itself invites us to take in each of these prints. It’s well worth it.

Also worth highlighting is the effort to provide a deep and polished setting for the game. It belongs to that breed of games that, while clearly being eurogames, the designers strive to distance from dry games that fail to hook other audiences. True, more than one ameritrasher might feel a bit misled finding something different from what might be expected with such a spectacular presentation. But if they give it a chance, they will surely end up fully satisfied.

And let’s wrap this up. Scythe is a distillation of 4X games (with some of the Xs heavily streamlined) using a direct and atomic action selection system. Its greatest virtue lies in spectacular dynamism, where turns fly by in a constant race to scrape together every territory, generating significant psychological tension thanks to the constant threat of conflict—even if it amounts to a strategic eviction rather than a real slaughter. On the downside, more demanding palates will miss heavier decisions, facing a somewhat guided development where all players end up traveling down similar paths due to the obligation to vary their movements. All in all, its accessibility and the agility of its games mitigate any hint of analysis paralysis, offering a rewarding experience. For all this, I give it a…